Family Matters
by Siyaa
Summary: In which Kuchiki Byakuya realizes that being a big brother might not be so difficult. Oneshot


_A/N: Major spoils for the Soul Society story arc and mild spoilers for the Hueco Mundo arc. Just thought I'd warn ya._

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Kuchiki Byakuya had liked to think that he had been the best brother that he could have been. When the Kuchiki house had accepted her into the family, Byakuya had promised himself that he would protect her and love her like he had not been able to love Hisana, her sister. He had not done either of those, though. And when the time had come for her to be placed into one of the thirteen divisions, a time when he wished he could tell her how proud he was, he had had half a mind to have her placed in his sixth. But the other half of his mind had told him that she would probably not enjoy that. She was fond of her space and neither of them really wanted others to think that Byakuya was being over-protective, which he supposed that he was. He could not help but be protective; he loved her too much to leave her alone.

So she went to the thirteenth and she learned and he was proud. She grew and he was proud. And she was pained with grief, and he was ashamed. Not of her, most certainly not; he could never be ashamed of her. No, he was ashamed of himself, for it was he who had let this pain come to her. It was he who had not been there for her when she needed her brother most…

Yet he hadn't learned from his mistakes, for it was he who had been willing to let his younger sister die because of rules and regulations. Who would have thought that an orange haired human brat would be the one to teach the great Kuchiki Byakuya about love? Who would have thought that it would take such an occurrence to make him stop and think of how he was hurting her?

And then he decided, decided the very moment that Aizen Sousuke raised his sword against Kuchiki Rukia. Byakuya had not been able to keep his promise in the past, but the future would be different. After all, if Soul Society could change, he could, too. But he just did not know how to be a brother. And he realized so very quickly that he really did not know _her_. So the moment danger was gone, he had become, once again, the cold-hearted, stoic captain he was known to be.

Now, though… Now she was in the heart of Hueco Mundo, knocking on the door of the most powerful, corrupt Shinigami to ever live. Gods only knew if she was still alive. When he truly thought about it, however, Byakuya knew that he would never have been able to stop her, never have been able to keep her home. He knew because Rukia would follow Kurosaki Ichigo into Hell itself without hesitation.

Never would he admit it aloud, but, after a great deal of thought, he had come to the conclusion that he was jealous of Kurosaki. In a matter of months, the boy had captured his beloved sister's heart while he himself had not been able to in years. And yet, in a way, he was glad. Because now she had someone who could give her the love she deserved. But it still pained him when he realized that she would never know how much he cared for her. And these thoughts… They only brought Byakuya back to the beginning. He had promised to protect her, and he had not. He had promised to love her, and he had not. He could not.

Once Rukia returned, he knew that it would again be Kurosaki that would comfort her and make her laugh. That boy would bring her back safely even if he died in the process. Yet… what if that was the case? What if Kurosaki _did_ die? What would the "noble Kuchiki-taichou" do then?

He could find a way. He _would _find a way. Byakuya would find a way to let her know that he was honored to have her as his sister. He would find a way to show her that he loved her. Because what was there, really, holding him back? His image as the powerful, emotionless captain? Hadn't he decided to leave that behind? Yes, he told himself, he had. And once more he had failed. But no more. He had never really enjoyed that title, anyway. Besides, Kuchiki Byakuya always kept his promises.


End file.
